HumptyDumpty
by See Saw
Summary: While raiding a town, Sanji gets separated and trapped within the not-so-pirate-friendly town. Now the race is on to get him out before anything worse happens to him.
1. The Wall

Disclaimer: No own...Me sad...

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"As captain, I hereby declare that you, Sanji, shall be the first to climb up the ladder," spoke a loudly whispered voice.

"What the hell are you talking about? _Luffy_ is the captain. You're just the shitty shooter. It is not in your power to tell me what to do," said the hissed reply.

"But he's not here; therefore, his position falls onto the most capable person. Besides, would you rather make Nami climb it first?"

"Don't you _dare_ bring fair Nami-san into this. Of course I would never even _think_ of making such a magnificent creature as her climb into that filthy town all by herself."

"Will you two just shut up?" said the navigator from her hiding spot among the bushes, "We need to hurry up and get into the town before dawn or we will never restock our supplies. This bickering is getting us nowhere! Now one of you climb up that damn ladder!"

"Like you're helping at all," Usopp said under his breathe, thus receiving a well-aimed boot to the face.

"I'll do it Nami-san, just so I can replenish our supplies and prepare delicious yet unworthy food for your wonderful self." Usopp rolled his eyes at the love-cook's usual antics. However, he had no qualms about Sanji being the one to infiltrate the heavily fortressed city. Not that he was scared, mind you, but someone did need to stay behind to protect Nami…

He thought that it was foolish to even be anywhere near this town. Though there was no marine base, the inhabitants of this island seemed to hate pirates enough to make marine/pirate relations look rather good. In fact, as soon as they sailed within shooting distance of the island, a barrage of cannon balls soared their way. Had it not been for Luffy's rubber body to bounce the cannon balls back, the _Going Merry_ would be currently resting on the sea floor.

Despite the fact that Usopp wanted to continue on to the next island (he was the only one who took the threat seriously), they were running dangerously short on vital supplies and the next island, according to Robin, was more than ten days away. Therefore, the decision was made to find a docking spot in a deserted harbor and sneak over the city's walls during the night to steal the needed supplies.

It was decided that himself, Nami, and Sanji would be the ones to actually sneak into the town. Luffy would cause unwanted attention, even in the dead of night, so Zoro had persuaded the rambunctious captain to accompany him on a hunt for meat thus distracting him from the temptation to join in on the infiltration. This left Robin and Chopper to stay behind and guard the _Going Merry_.

Usopp's train of thought was snapped back into the present by yet another boot to the face.

"Pay attention! I'm going to go now. Whatever you do, leave the ladder up so I can get back down." He started to creep forward and, as an afterthought, turned back around, "And no pranks this time or I'll personally skin your hide."

The sharpshooter gulped loudly at the threat as he remembered the _last_ time they had to sneak into a city. Even though Zoro was responsible for orchestrating the elaborate sabotage of the love-cook's plans (as revenge for pushing Zoro overboard during one of his naps because the lazy swordsman was "in the way"), Usopp had the impression that Sanji unfairly blamed him as well. The only role he played in the scheme was to scream "pirate" hysterically. Sanji had never quite gotten over the fact that he had to run clear across town to escape the mass amount of marines on his tail.

He watched as Sanji quietly took the makeshift ladder and proceeded out of the tree line in which he was previously hidden to the wall of the city. After placing the ladder against the tall barrier, he quickly disappeared over the wall.

Nami breathed a sigh of relief. "It should be smooth sailing from here," she rearranged herself in a more comfortable position, "He should be back any ti—"

"Shhh," Usopp put a hand over her mouth. "Listen."

Though Nami swatted his hand away, Usopp was surprised to find Nami actually heeding his command; she never was one to respond to an interruption quietly.

The two pirates strained their ears towards the wall where sounds of a scuffling and grunts could be heard.

"What is that?" Nami whispered apprehensively.

"It sounds like someone's fighting," Usopp replied softly. "Should we should go up and see—"

He trailed off as he watched an unknown figure pull the ladder up and over the wall.

"That's not Sanji," and thinking of the peril his crewmate would be in if he was trapped within the walled fortress, he rushed forward to prevent Sanji's method of escape from disappearing.

He was halfway to the wall when a shot rang out accompanied by a muffled shout and a thump as if someone had fell off the wall. Though he could not see anything to determine if he was right, as if anything had hit the ground, it would be on the opposite side of the wall, he had a sinking feeling in his gut.

_Sanji._

When he overcame his panic, he noticed that the ladder was gone and Nami had a hold on his arm and was dragging him back to the cover of the forest. He then noticed the dirt around his feet being disturbed as bullets intended for his body missed and thudded into the earth.

The next thing to register in his brain was Nami's shouting, "We've got to get out of here before we get shot."

"But—Sanji…"

"He'll be fine. He can take care of himself."

"How will he escape?" The city-folk were obviously aware of the pirate's raiding plans and thus well prepared to deal with them. They were likely to have any possible escape route well guarded.

"I dunno, but if we can get back to the ship alive, which requires you to actually _run_, we can form a plan with the rest of our crew."

Usopp realized that he was indeed moving only due to Nami's tugging. Running, at the moment, seemed like a very good plan. Hopefully, the one they would come up with to get into the city would make just as much sense.

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Sorry about the ending, but its really late and I wrote/edited it in one sitting; if ya find any spelling/grammar/plot/character errors, I'd be happy to hear. Hopefully, this fic made some amount of sense…


	2. The Fall

What you are (hopefully) about to read (you poor person) is the result of many late nights. I have no time during the day to work on it, so I spent about 15 minutes each night writing it so if seems a bit off (or just plain sucks) I apologize.

Also, I do not know much about marine ranks, so I may come back later and change it if I deem it necessary.

'blah blah blah' thoughts

_blah blah blah_ thoughts

(consistent, aren't I?)

Disclaimer: sarcastically since I can draw, be creative, and write in Japanese (or any language) worth a damn, you must have mistaken me for Eiichiro Oda. Silly you.

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Sanji gave an inward sign of relief as he lowered his feet onto the broad walkway at the top of the wall. Seeing no sentries posted, he smirked. _Either I'm incredibly lucky or they're completely stupid. What's the point of a wall if you don't guard it? Even pirates can climb a ladder._

The only lighting came from the city below him, but it was just enough to illuminate the wall top for him to locate a stairwell leading into the city. With cat-like stealth, he stalked towards the stairs, barely daring to believe how smoothly this operation was going.

He got two steps before the first blow came his way.

He heard a boot scuff the ground and instinctually ducked. The attacker had put so much force behind his punch that he could not stop the momentum thus he found himself stupidly whirling around. Taking advantage of his assailant's plight, Sanji quickly threw a kick to the guy's face, slamming him into the wall and knocking him out.

Thought this was too easy… 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man to his right raise his rifle in firing position and fire. Sanji barely dodged the bullet as he sprinted towards the shooter and disarmed him with a kick.

Just as he did that, another object came his way. Sanji brought his leg up to block the rifle butt intended for his head. Locked in a stalemate with Sanji's leg in the air stopping the weapon from crashing into his face, he was not able to see the other person sneak up behind him, also armed with rifle.

However, he did see stars when the rifle butt struck the back of his head. When the black finally faded, Sanji found himself lying in the middle of what now appeared to be about seven men mercilessly hitting and kicking his prone body.

_There's no way I could have not seen this many men. Must have been a trap._

The cook suddenly jumped up and retaliated. In the time it took the men to recover from their shock, Sanji had already disposed of four of their number. The remaining three gathered together and began inching fearfully backwards away from the not-so-harmless pirate.

Just as Sanji shifted his balance for an attack to finish the remaining men off, something sharp pricked the skin over his shoulder blade. He whirled around to see three new men, the middle of which was holding a sort of blowgun. Fearing for the worse, Sanji tried to adjust the angle of his neck so as to better view what felt like a dart. However, this proved to be fruitless as looking at one's upper back was just as easy as licking one's elbow. Sanji only knew of one person who could do either of the said tasks, and he possessed a rubber body. Though he could not view the projectile, Sanji could already feel whatever was coated on the dart make its way into his blood stream.

"Shit."

"Thank goodness you came, Sgt. Red," began one of the three remaining men.

"He was about to finish us—"

"And you call yourselves marines, you lily-livered wretches? Hurry and restrain him. If he gets away, you'll take his place," said the man armed with the blowgun.

'I thought Nami-san said there wasn't a marine base on this island. Or was that Robin-chan…' The cook fought to keep his thoughts straight. Whatever drug coated the dart was certainly potent as he was already starting to feel the effects. His muscles were slow to respond, though it was certainly not a sleep-inducing drug, as his mind remained just as active as it had minutes before.

_But they're obviously not trying to kill, so I should have an advantage._

He ducked the rifle butt of the closest man, and saw that he was indeed in marine uniform. 'Strange that I didn't notice it before… probably just the lighting…'

"What are you waiting for? Get him!" cried Sgt. Red spurring the rest of the men into action.

'Can't this guy do anything himself?' he thought rather annoyed. If that damned swordsman ever found out that he was having trouble against a handful of marines, he'd never hear the end of it…

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Fifteen minutes later found Sanji hanging limply between two marines. The drug had slowed him down immensely, and what were only minutes appeared to be hours to the drugged fighter.

He heard approaching footsteps above his harsh breathing and lifted his head to glare at what appeared to be the head marine present.

"You must feel pretty stupid to get caught in such an obvious setup," he said condescendingly. "Thanks to you, we have the bait we need to ensnare the rest of your crew."

_Damn._

He was never going to hear the end of this…

"I have a deal for you," continued Sgt. Red, "You can cooperate in bringing known criminals to justice and we'll work out a deal to spare your life…" he paused as if to give the pirate a minute to think it over to which Sanji gave a rude snort, "or you can hang with the rest of them. An honest deal, don't you think? So which is it, you help us and go free, or hinder us and die?"

Sanji dropped his head back to his chest and mumbled a response.

"What's that?" asked the sergeant as he moved his head near the pirate's to better hear his response.

"I said," Sanji threw up with head to collide with Sgt. Red's chin, "'go to hell.'" He kicked both feet off the ground and slammed them into the sergeant's. The two men previously restraining Sanji fell to the ground dragging Sanji down with them.

Sgt. Red spat the blood from his mouth and reached down to grab the pirate by his shirt collar.

"Pirate scum," he whispered savagely as he lifted Sanji up to meet his eyes. For the first time, Sanji noticed the difference in height between them. At eye level, his feet weren't even touching the ground.

"Marine bastard," the cook replied evenly. Smirking at the thought that this guy never seemed to learn, he brought kicked his right foot up hard into Sgt. Red's crotch. The smirk disappeared when he was rewarded by an animalistic roar of pain followed by being flung off the wall.

The breath was forced out of his body when a couple of barrels painfully broke his fall. The last thing he was aware of was a popping sensation in his chest before unconsciousness enveloped him.

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Grrrr…. This was not going where I wanted it. I have no control! However, this is only the beginning so it will get better onceI get into it (gulps) Well, till next time…

Pointless note: My mom actually can lick her elbow. However, that talent, it seems, is not genetic. Still, I come from a family of freaks.


	3. The Calvary

I just wanted to say thanks to all the people who left a review. They really do encourage a writer.

Disclaimer: Hell, I don't even own an episode of One Piece, much less the actual concept.

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Zoro grunted as they hit the wall top in a none-too-gentle landing. The rest of the crew had all agreed that scaling the wall would be too risky, as the town's people would most likely expect the rest of the crew to climb over in the same manner as the cook. Using their captain as a slingshot to fling them over the wall would take anyone expecting their arrival by surprise, thus making it the best way to get over the wall, as most of the crew had decided.

At least, everyone had but Zoro.

Being the only one to have actually experienced the uncontrolled speed accompanied by the rough landings, he adamantly refused to subject himself to such methods of "wall-hopping".

That is, until the crew started to question his masculinity.

Or, more specifically, Usopp called him a pansy.

So, after he growled out his consent and a trembling Usopp was dragged out from behind a giggling Luffy ("Hehe…. pansy-Zoro…") they commenced into getting over the wall.

Zoro, the first to recuperate, stood up to keep watch while the others recovered from the slingshot ("What did I tell you?" he had said smugly). He saw no other signs of life along the wall top, which meant that whoever had caused trouble for the cook was most likely not expecting them.

He heaved an exasperated sigh. It figured that the cook would be the one to get them into this mess. He never got the details from Nami, as she insisted that it was urgent that they come to the city, but he assumed that his usual Love-Cook antics were to blame. It would fail to surprise him if the people who had, allegedly, attacked the cook had no idea of their original plan and the cook was just stupid enough to get himself caught. Zoro snorted as he wondered what attention-seeking tactic the cook had used.

Glancing back at his crew, he found that Usopp was finally conscious and they were ready to make their way into the city.

The party remained mostly quiet as they came across a main roadway that appeared to lead into the city. The only noise, other than that which their feet made, came from Luffy and Usopp who, to Zoro's dismay, were still finding amusement in the comment Usopp had made earlier.

Patience finally giving out, Zoro quickly whirled around to find a more permanent way to stop the two's clowning around when Nami put a hand on his shoulder. Before he could inform her that what he was about to do was indeed for the good of the group, he heard the unmistakable sound of many guns being cocked.

He turned around, swords already in their respective hands, to see about thirty marines with their guns aimed at the pirate group.

"Where the hell did they come from?"

Luffy stepped forword to stand next to his first mate. "Marines!" he cried happily.

"But I thought there wasn't suppose to be a base on this island," Usopp gulped.

"Marines will sometimes occupy towns without a base to catch unwary pirates," Robin quietly informed them.

"Drop your weapons immediately!" ordered one of the marines from across the road.

"I guess he's talking to you, Zoro. You're the only one of us who has his weapons out," observed Luffy cracking his knuckles.

"Yeah, and if they want them they can come and pry them out of my cold dead fingers," came the growled reply as Zoro clenched his teeth around his sword.

"Maybe they know where Sanji-kun is," suggested Nami as she moved to place her rubber captain between herself and the armed marines, "So try to keep at least one alive."

"No promises," answered Zoro tersely.

"This is your last warning, drop your weapons and put your hands in the air. If you fail to comply, we will open fire!"

"Hands in the air?" Luffy grinned, "Y'mean like this?" He extended his arms over the Marine's heads to grab onto the top of a tall building behind them. Then, after taking a running head start, he launched himself into their midst becoming demolition ball amongst the previously orderly ranks of marines.

Shots rang out as the ranks attempted to stop the pirate captain only to have their ammunition rebound back towards themselves. Zoro, taking advantage of the distraction, ran into the melee. His swinging katanas coupled with Usopp's volleys of diverse missiles, Robin's hands that emerged from the marines' chests to knock them out, and Luffy's monkey like swinging attacks made short work of the military men.

Once she saw that the fight was over, Nami walked among the ground littered with bodies. "Thirty marines," she exclaimed, "and you couldn't even keep one conscious?"

"We don't even know if they have the stupid cook," responded an irritable Zoro as he wiped his sword clean on a clump of grass, "For all we know, he could be back at the ship by now."

"Well, we won't know until one of them wakes up."

"Heh, I guess we should of brought Chopper with us," Usopp offered.

"He would certainly be of more use than you right now. Next time, _you _get to watch the ship."

Usopp grinned sheepishly. No use arguing with their navigator when she was in a mood like this. "Maybe, but its too late now," he said good-naturedly as he nudged a fallen marine with his boot. Not that they would remember his agreement next time the opportunity arose.

"I found one, Navigator-san." Robin's quiet voice carried to the rest of the crew who soon joined her.

She stood with her hands crossed over her chest looking down at a uniformed marine. He was sitting up, yet his arms were held behind his back by the iron-tight grip of Robin's devil fruit power.

"However," she continued once the crew was assembled around her, "I do not think that he is willing to cooperate."

The marine spat at Robin's feet. "I would rather die than help pirate scum."

"Is that so?" responded Zoro grinning like a cat eyeing a wounded bird. He drew one of his katanas causing the marine to go ghost white. "Tell me, are you ticklish?"

As he proceeded with his exceedingly effective intimidation tactics, Usopp couldn't help but feel sorry for the marine. He could see by the expression on the swordsman's face that he would show not the slightest bit of mercy and would most likely do everything up to actually seriously hurting the marine to get him to talk. Zoro didn't need to physically maim to scare the daylights out of a person. And, boy could Zoro frighten the daylights out of almost anyone, as Usopp knew very well.

"Y'think we should stop him? I mean, if that guy passes out, he won't be much help," he whispered to his captain.

"It could be scarier," responded Luffy with a grin, "If it were Nami, that guy would be out cold by now."

He instinctually ducked the blow that the navigator aimed at his head, but Usopp who was standing next to him was not quite as lucky.

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At the makeshift marine headquarters, Sgt. Red was pacing restlessly in his office when he heard a smart rap at the door.

"Enter," he commanded. A younger marine stepped in and Sgt. Red continued pacing.

"Sir, we just got word that the pirate crew has entered the city."

"And what of the men sent to stop them?"

"They were all defeated, sir."

"Good. Where are the pirates now?"

"Our scouts have confirmed that they are being led to the location you had designated earlier. They will be there shortly."

He stopped pacing. "It's going just as planned," he remarked more to himself than to the subordinate present. Turning his attention back to the latter he stated, "Now, go and put the bait in place."

"Yes, sir," the man replied curtly. After he saluted, he left the room to do as his sergeant ordered.

'This time tomorrow,' thought Sgt. Red as he made his way out of his office to personally oversee the trap being set up, 'there will be one less pirate crew on the sea.'

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Sorry for the delay, but I had a tournament this weekend and couldn't update on Sunday like I usually do. Chances are, since I have a camp this weekend (I'm sooo gonna die) I won't be able to update until this time next week. So, if I survive, you'll be one chapter closer to the end.

By the way, feel free to tell me if ya catch any grammar/spelling/plot/character errors (especially is anyone is OOC or if their speech is wrong). I'd be very happy to know.

'Til next time!


	4. The Prince's Men

Sorry about the delay in getting this chapter up. It woulda been a heck of a lot longer if not for all the great reviews you guys left. Thanks!

Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, it would of sucked.

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"That's the place, right?"

"That's what he said," Zoro replied quietly as he jerked his thumb behind him to indicate the marine who had lead them to a spot across the street from a building guarded by two half-awake sentries. Once his purpose was served, Zoro knocked the man out with the hilt of his sword and, using the rope Nami had decided to bring along, they tied him up and gagged him so he would not cause them further trouble. The pirates had then split into two groups. Nami and Robin were to go collect the needed supplies that had them in the city to begin with while the guys would retrieve the cook. The females were the ones decided for their task as both had experience in areas of stealthy professions; one being a former thief and the other an assassin. The two groups had agreed to meet back at the ship as soon as they had completed their tasks.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Luffy decisively started to step out of the shadows they were hidden in to make his way towards the guarded entry of their destination only to have Zoro grab the back of his red vest and yank him back down.

After his rubber body snapped back into place, Luffy gave his first mate a confused stare. "Aren't we gonna kick their asses?" he asked seriously.

"Of course we are!" came Usopp's animatedbravado though it was reduced a few volume levels below normal, "But we can't just march up to armed marines like that. It's suicide!"

"But bullets don't hurt me."

"Usopp's right," Zoro said quietly. It was defiantly a phrase that he never thought he would ever say. "We need to get in there unnoticed." He looked at Usopp, "Can you hit those two guards from here?"

"Are you kidding me? You're talking to the man who can knock a tooth from a hen's mouth at a thousand meters! In fact, on the island of Henlay, they think of me as a national hero for defeating the—"

"I get it," Zoro interrupted both to keep the overeager sharpshooter from raising his voice enough to wake up the guards and for the sake of his own sanity. "Now hurry up and do it."

After mumbling a few calculations under his breath as he took careful aim, Usopp fired two projectiles in rapid succession. The sentinels made no sound as they crumpled to the ground.

"Now we go," instructed Zoro as he took off in a sprint towards the entrance of the building, the captain and sharpshooter close on his heels.

After quickly entering through the unlocked door, the trio found themselves in a lobby-like room with one hall leading back further into the depths of the headquarters.

"This doesn't look like a place they would keep the people they've captured," Usopp observed.

Zoro, as ex-bounty hunter, was familiar with the workings of the marines. "No, but usually the prison is separated from the main marine office place. That hall," he indicated by pointed towards the dark hallway, "will probably lead outside to the prison building."

Usopp stared down the dark and, in his eyes, sinister corridor nervously. "W-why that way?" he asked, unable to keep the trepidation he felt from entering into his voice.

"Because that's where Sanji is," Luffy answered matter-of-factly.

"We still don't know that for sure," muttered Zoro.

"Right, so I vote we find Sanji in some other place."

Zoro looked at Usopp, a smirk upon his features. "Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark…"

"I'm not!" he said indignantly, "It's the fact that we're in a _marine_ base for crying out loud. Besides, as you said, he may not even be here! And then you guys start suggesting that we go _further_ into the base? This is crazy! What if this is a setup and we walk right into it? I mean, we'd be trapped and, not to mention, most likely outnumbered! There's no reason for a reasonable guy like me to _not_ be afra—"

"Shhh."

Usopp stopped his tirade and looked over at the first mate. "What?" he asked in a much lower voice than he had previously ranted at. "Do you hear something?"

"No, I just want you to be quiet." And with that, Zoro started walking after his captain who had made his way down the hallway.

When Usopp and Zoro had reached Luffy, they found him next to a door whose windows revealed another building connected to the one they were currently in by a covered walkway.

"Told ya," Zoro said with a smirk.

"That doesn't look like a prison," Usopp pointed out.

"None of these buildings look anything like a marine base," retorted Zoro, "If you recall, there's not suppose to be a base on this island." He opened the door to allow the group to make their way to the smaller building.

Zoro's demeanor changed once the pirates reached the door of the opposite building. Something made his hairs stand on end and he knew from years of experience to trust such impulses. Something was wrong.

"Zoro?" Luffy sensing the shift in his first mate's behavior paused before opening the door to fix him with a puzzled look.

"Don't look or anything, but we're being watched," he said in a low voice. He heard Usopp behind him gulp nervously and mumble something about how no one listened to him.

Luffy, keeping as calm as ever, and feigning ignorance to Zoro's detection, proceeded in opening the door. Luffy, Zoro thought, understood the importance of keeping the enemy unaware that their target knew of their presence. If anyone watching them knew that they were found out, they would be forced to act hastily and attack, which, in this situation, as the pirates had yet to find their missing cook, would be to their disadvantage. However, Zoro could not help but think that they were being led into a trap.

Once the door was open Zoro peered into the room. As far as he could see, since Luffy was standing in the middle of the doorway, the building seemed to consist of just one sole room. Also, though he still sensed that suspicious feeling of being watched, there appeared to be no one in the room. There was a lone lamp dimly lit and hanging off the ceiling that did an insufficient job of illuminating the room.

However, his captain, who, due to his position, had a better view of the room, was able to see something Zoro was not, and his now very pale face revealed the effect the sight had on him.

"Sanji."

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I shoulda wrote more, but this chapter just did _not _wanna write and I'm dead tired from training and stupid SAT class (why does it have to be in the summer? hits head on wall WHY?) Anyway, writer's block sucks (as if you didn't know that…) However, the next chapter should be up sooner since I now have a computer in my room (my very own computer! does happy dance) and therefore, I have no reason not to type.

By the way, xparrot, thanks a lot for the offer and I do not doubt that this story could use it, but I think it would make more people happy if you worked on your stories. I mean, they are GREAT and I would hate to delay you in anyway from getting more chapters up. Thanks for the review.

In fact, thank you all!


	5. The Discovery

Ahh! I do not think I have ever made this many people mad in my life! When I wrote that last chapter, I would have never dreamed to get the response I did. Hehehe, bow to my power! I mean, I could of left ya'll hanging for another week… Oh, the suspense…

And, as it is almost midnight here (my eyes are so dry), you could have had this a day later…

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Hopefully the ending will sit a bit better with ya'll.

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Zoro and Usopp moved to position themselves to better see what had shocked their captain.

The gruesome scene before them had no less effect on them.

In the middle of the room, a bloody figure was held in a standing position by a stake driven through the fleshy part of each shoulder. At each end of the stakes, a rope was tied and slung over a ceiling beam keeping the apparently unconscious victim upright.

"Sanji?" Usopp somehow managed to say.

Zoro's vision went as red as the blood covering the cook.

He wordlessly entered into the room with Luffy and Usopp close behind him, unsheathed a sword and, in one stroke, severed the ropes causing Sanji to fall lifelessly into Luffy's arms. Luffy, still supporting the cook, lowered them both onto the ground to avoid aggravating the wounds further. Usopp kneeled next to Sanji and began to tear apart his own sash into bandages to stem the bleeding.

"He feels…broken." Luffy's voice was quiet. He looked at Usopp, "Is he alright?"

"He's still alive, though this looks bad," the sharpshooter remarked softly as he began to bind the deep holes. However, until they could get the cook to Chopper, Usopp knew that his ministrations would barely mitigate the damage. He hoped that Sanji did not have any other major injuries, though, judging by the vast quantity of blood that covered the cook, he feared that he was hoping in vain.

Zoro tightened his grip on his still unsheathed katana and glared hard at the ground though all he saw was red. He would find those responsible, he vowed, even if he had to tear the whole town apart from wall to wall. And when he did find them… well, the results would certainly be covered in the same red substance that his crewmate was covered in.

"…fucking…idiots…fell in…trap…"

As if he had been slapped, Zoro snapped out of his rage-induced trance and spun on his heel to face the cook. Luffy and Usopp's eyes were just as wide and surprised as the swordsman's. The fact that Sanji was conscious, much less able to speak had taken them all completely unaware. A weak cough was further emitted from the cook before he went still.

"Trap?" Usopp glanced around nervously.

Zoro looked around the room as well. It seemed to him to be a normal storage room with crates and barrels against the walls. Unless the room was meant to corner the pirates, as there was only one entrance, Zoro could not see how the room could possibly be intended to ensnare his crew. If the need arose, they could, without a doubt, fight past any number of marines that would try to keep them inside the area. The cook's disabled state may hamper their fighting, but he could always be handed off to Usopp leaving Zoro's and Luffy's hands free. Zoro almost wished that the marines where outside that door now; he had a major urge to maim something…

It was then that Zoro caught a whiff of a familiar scent.

Walking closer to a set of barrels against the far wall, he confirmed his suspicions. Though the lighting was barely adequate to read by, the barrel's contents were printed in bold black letters on its side.

Gunpowder.

Looking closer, he saw that attached to every barrel and crate, were many strings that lead outside through a crack in the wall.

Dynamite…string…

"Shit."

"What is it?" Luffy questioned.

"We need to get out of here. Quickly." Hearing a sizzling noise that could only mean one thing, he glanced back down to see the sparks, which had just come into view, rapidly consume the lengths of the many strings attached to the multitude of gunpowder barrels. "Actually," he amended, "We need to get out of here. _Now_."

"Why?" Luffy was completely oblivious to the lit fuses.

Zoro grabbed Usopp who was staring mindlessly at the sparks and began to sprint towards the door. "It's a trap," he shouted over his shoulder.

"No…shit." Sanji, still in Luffy's arms as he raced out behind Zoro, managed to weakly reply.

Zoro flung the door open to reveal a line of marines standing across the courtyard with their guns aimed at the running pirates. Zoro let out a groan suddenly regretting that he wished for such an occurrence earlier. 'They couldn't have picked a less convenient time,' he thought as bullets whizzed past them.

"Keep running!" he shouted needlessly. It was obvious to everyone except perhaps Luffy, who was still most likely unaware of the lit fuses that would reach the explosives in a very short amount of time, that despite the danger ahead, they needed to get as far away from the doomed building as they possibly could.

"I _told_ you it was a trap!" Usopp shouted to Zoro. He winced as a bullet zipped past his ear. "Now we're gonna die!" he shouted dramatically at the dark sky.

Luffy still bearing Sanji in both arms caught up to Zoro. "Hey," he said, loud enough to be heard over the gun fire, "Why are we—"

Luffy's question was cut off as the force from the explosion flung the pirates violently forward.

After the ringing in his skull had receded, Zoro sat up and shook his head. He could not tell whether the lights dancing in his vision were caused by the intense brightness of the blast or if they had originated from inside his skull as he bounced along the ground.

Somewhat concerned about the wellbeing of his crew, he sat up to assess their conditions. He was relieved to find that Luffy had somehow managed to cushion the cook's body from the impact with his own rubber one. Usopp also appeared to be all right though he was holding his head in his hands and massaging his temples.

It took slightly longer for the marines to recover; they had been facing the explosion and Zoro could only imagine the effect it had on their sight.

He stood up and drew his three katanas. These were, without a doubt, the bastards who had captured and wounded Sanji. Zoro would make them pay.

Luffy also stood up and placed the injured cook next to Usopp who was still attempting to ward off his apparent headache by rubbing his forehead.

"Keep him safe," Luffy said simply and uncharacteristically serious. Usopp looked up and nodded at his captain with barely perceptible trepidation at being assigned such a responsibility shown on his features.

Luffy walked closer to the marines to stand next to Zoro.

"Which one of you hurt my nakama? " he shouted fiercely while cracking his knuckles.

Zoro took a quick look at his captain's face; the normally cheerful features were replaced by a look of pure hatred that was saved exclusively for those who hurt any of _Going Merry's_ crew.

Those standing before the pair would regret ever being born.

A deep menacing laugh from within the ranks of the marines was an unanticipated reply to Luffy's query. A man moved to stand in front of the troops to address the pirates standing before him.

"I did," the man retorted. He crossed his arms over his broad chest, "Though I don't believe you are in any position to do anything about it."

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So, there you have it. I hope the ending to this chapter is in a more convenient location for you all… though death threats are a very good motivator for me.

Speaking of death threats, I do not think that I will be able to update until the 10th or 11th at the earliest because I have to go out of state to stay with family I have never met for a week. Ugh.

Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. Lemme know what you think!

Until next time!


	6. The Tide's Turn

Sorry this chapter is later than I promised. It seems I have been distracted by another manga… Anyway, Oregon was great. Being from Texas, I've never seen people wear sweatshirts in July. I also got to play in snow! But now it's back to 100 degree weather and finishing this fic…

Enjoy!

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The flames from what had previously been a storehouse cast eerie shadows upon the figure that stood between the multitude of marines and the pirates of the _Going Merry_. Even at a distance, Zoro could see that the powerfully built man surpassed everyone present in both build and height.

At a hand signal from the man, the marines behind him cocked and aimed their rifles at the pirates.

"Who are you?" growled Zoro through teeth clenching his katana.

"Sgt. Red, at your service," the man smirked giving a mocking bow.

They were stuck, Zoro thought. The marines were too far away to charge at; they would be shot before they made it halfway. Luffy would be the only one able to withstand such an assault.

Unless he ran behind Luffy, using his rubber body to deflect the bullets.

But that would leave Usopp and the cook unprotected.

Damn.

And standing still in their current position would be certain death. There was no telling when the sergeant would order his men to fire. With no place to run, they were sitting ducks.

He needed a distraction…

Zoro was blasted out of his thoughts by an explosion right in the middle of the marine group.

He gave a quick look behind him at the _Going Merry's_ sharpshooter who was loading another round of his exploding projectiles.

"Go!" shouted Usopp as he fired the rounds resulting in more pandemonium amongst the ranks. "We'll be fine," he called as he indicated Sanji with a quick nod, though his eyes never left his target.

The swordsman nodded in appreciation and took off after his captain, readjusting his swords as he ran. The confused marines were hardly a fight for captain and first mate who, though greatly outnumbered, fought with skill years beyond the men around them.

However, there was one person the two pirates had targeted who was no where in sight. Though the smoke and fire of Usopp's attacks had dissapated Sgt. Red was not among his men.

"Where is he?" Luffy, back to back with his first mate, shouted angrily to no one in particular. He emphasized his query with a roundhouse to a marine's face.

Zoro, too, was frustrated, though his voice showed no hints of it. "That coward probably went inside to hide."

"I'm gonna clobber him."

Zoro smirked as he hacked though another marine. "If you find him before I do."

"I will."

"You know, he's probably running for his ship now. By the time we get through these idiots, he'll be long gone."

"I'll find hi—"

"LUFFY!"

At the sound of Usopp's voice, Luffy whirled around to look back towards the still burning building where they had left their sharpshooter and chef.

Zoro let out a curse as he parried a sword aimed for the captain's neck. Just because Luffy had stopped fighting did not mean the marines felt obliged to do the same.

"Damn it Luffy, pay attention!" he shouted, more alarmed than angry. That had been way too close for Zoro's comfort.

At Luffy's silence, he spared a quick glance at him. The rubber man was staring towards the still burning wreckage with pure fury written across his features. The flames that reflected in his dark eyes only added to the rage.

The fact that Luffy was standing stock still troubled Zoro more than the cause of the expression on his face. He could not get distracted, not while they were in the middle of armed marines after their skin. The last thing he needed, Zoro thought, was to have to fight for _two _persons instead of one. Zoro spun on his heel to engage once again in fighting only to stumble when he noticed that all fighting had ceased.

"…the hell?"

Every pair of eyes was focused back towards the once-storehouse.

Zoro turned around to see the long-nosed sharpshooter sprawled on the ground with his head under Sgt. Red's boot and the cook held in the air by a large hand around his neck.

Seeing that he had everyone's attention, Sgt. Red sneered and threw Sanji to the ground.

"You left something," he called to the two pirates.

"Luffy!" Usopp's voice, though muffled by the boot pressing his face into the ground, was still heard from across the grounds, "Be…careful, he has…se—"

"Shutup!" Sgt. Red snarled removing his foot from Usopp's face to give him a savage kick. Usopp let out a pained gasp before he went still.

This was more than Luffy could handle. With his face contorted in extreme anger, he extended his rubber arm towards the sergeant. "Die!"

Zoro ran in the same direction as Luffy's punch to follow it up with one of his own attacks.

However, the punch never landed. With a movement that was so fast even Zoro's eyes could barely follow, the huge man sidestepped the punch. He then grabbed Luffy's arm and clapped a cuff-looking object on the rubber wrist.

Zoro halted his dash as he heard Luffy give a sudden intake of breath behind him. Luffy's arm began to retract back to its normal length, but instead of his arm returning back to his body, his body flew towards the grip Sgt. Red still had on his wrist.

After his body finally snapped back into place, the man held a very still Luffy by his arm as if he were displaying a trophy. "You lose this."

Luffy's chin against his chest and black shaggy hair prevented Zoro from seeing if his captain was still conscious. The swordsman was bewildered at the cause of Luffy's sudden immobility. The only other times he had seen Luffy go so still was…

Zoro narrowed his eyes. The firelight cast enough light for Zoro to confirm his suspicions.

Seastone.

The unusual metal cuff around his wrist glowed like water under the sun.

"Bastard." Zoro growled.

Sgt. Red threw the immobile captain on top of the unconscious cook resulting in a grunt of pain from both. Luffy tried to push himself up only to fall back down; the seastone had zapped all of his strength.

Zoro watch his captain's struggles with increasing fury.

"Now it's just you an me, Roronoa Zoro."

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Yeah, I have trouble writing fight scenes (heck, I have trouble just _writing_). Also, I know very little of Usopp's attacks and of seastone (especially regarding the color of it). If I was wrong concerning either (or anything else for that matter) please let me know!

Just out of curiosity, can anyone guess where I got my inspiration for this fic? Here's a hint…

This event happened to a historical figure. During a war, he was attacking a walled city and, being the brave general he was, he was one of the first to climb the wall using a ladder (despite his advisors' advise). However, before others could follow him, the ladder broke and fell, leaving him trapped. His army eventually got to him, he was cornered and fighting but he was badly wounded. I think it took about a month for him to recover his injuries.

So yeah…paying attention in history class does have its advantages.


	7. The Face Off

I know, I know…it took forever to get this chapter out… I apologize. Got back from Georgia only to have to start band camp. I have absolutely NO time during the day. I am gone from 6:30 am to 9:00 pm. And when school starts up schedule will be even more hectic… Gah, life sucks.

Also, I had JUST finished this chapter when my foot accidently hit the power switch. I lost almost EVERYTHING. Even worse, I think the original was TONS better.

So, here's the long-overdue chapter…

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Zoro stared at his incapacitated crewmates who lay at the marine sergeant's feet. Behind him stood the rest of the marines, and though many had fallen at the hands of the captain and first mate of the Straw Hat crew, a great portion still remained.

The anger that had surged through him earlier when the they had first discovered the bloody cook was nothing compared to the fury raging in his chest and pumping into his limbs. It took a great deal of conscious effort to resist the urge to give into the adrenaline rush and charge forward to wipe the arrogant smirk off the marine bastard's face.

"What do you want?" he growled across to the overconfident bastard. The man was just playing with them and unless this was one entirely lucky marine squad, Zoro knew someone had gone to great lengths to plan the attack. He wanted to know why.

He adjusted his swords and readied his stance. He was going to turn the tables. The others had been taken by surprise—he was not going to fall into the same trap.

Sergeant Red only deepened his smirk as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "I know pirates aren't scholars, but, really now, must you ask questions that are _that_ stupid?"

Damn it all to hell, Zoro thought. He was entirely fed up with the bastard's cocky attitude. Deciding his conscience did not need any answer to his previous question in order justify attacking this man, Zoro charged full speed towards him.

Sgt. Red evaded Zoro's slash with the same remarkable speed that had enabled him to catch Luffy's punch. However, Zoro expected such a maneuver and, upon reflex, twisted his body to redirect his momentum and enable him to execute a wide side slash aimed for the larger man's torso.

The anticipated sensation of bladed steel penetrating flesh was replaced by harsh vibrations that traveled up his arm as a result of steel clanging upon a like matter. Zoro was surprised to see that his opponent had, instead of a sword, metal armor under his marine uniform. The sergeant had brought his forearm up to lock with Zoro's attacking katana.

"Not only do you hide behind your walls and men, but you have armor as well? A bit over the top, don't you think? Or are you just paranoid?" Zoro spoke between grit teeth and katana as he braced himself against his sword connected to the marine's arm to keep the man from advancing on him. "But if you think scrap metal that thin will keep me from getting through, than you're gonna die a fool."

"I'll kill you before you get a chance to worry about getting through my armor." Sgt. Red grunted. To emphasize his point, he gave a sudden strong push forward that threw the swordsman back. Then, using Zoro's surprise at the sudden change in his balance and momentum, he raced forward to deliver a devastating blow to the first mate's head.

Zoro knew that, at first, the man's speed took him by surprise. On second inspection, however, the man's speed was no greater than his own. He had only appeared faster due to underestimation. At rough estimate, the man moved four times faster than a man his size would normally be able to. It was nothing Zoro couldn't handle. He easily regained his balance and ducked beneath the man's swing to duck behind him.

"You're not as fast as you think you are."

The man whirled around to face the swordsman. His cocky smirk had abandoned him to reappear on Zoro's face.

"Don't just stand there, fools! Get him!" ordered the sergeant to his men behind him. He barely finished his sentence before he was knocked backwards by the smaller bulk of the pirate. The surprise attack left him sprawled on his back with the tip of a very sharp katana aimed at the front of his exposed neck.

"Once I finish with him, it's your turn." The icy tone promising death coupled with the equally frigid glare and was enough to freeze the entire group of attacking marines mid-charge. They had witnessed the swordsman's skills and, as their innate survival instinct that all men possess kicked in, they had absolutely no desire to be in any close proximity to those three lethal swords.

The fear of their sergeant was the only factor that kept them from abandoning the compound in a mad rush of screaming men.

"If you lily-livered cowards abandon me, I swear I'll hunt down everyone of you—" the sergeant's growled threat was cut off by added pressure to the tip of the blade at his throat.

The men did not move.

"I suggest you take my advice and get as far away from here as quickly as possible. This wannabe marine is in no position to make threats anymore." Zoro knew he could fight the crowd of marines standing before him; the fact that they were scared out of their wits would make it that much easier. However, he still had his debilitated crew to worry about. He had been extremely mindful of his position during the course of the fight to make sure he remained between any marines attempting heroics and his helpless shipmates. A hostage situation would undoubtedly hamper his fighting and give the advantage to the marines.

Once he disposed of the bastard responsible for the mess they were in, the pirates escape would also be much more swift and straightforward without having to fight through ranks of marines with possibly two injured crewmates to carry.

The shell-shocked men only stared at the swordsman.

"You have until I count to ten to get your asses out of my sight before I slit his throat and go after yours," Zoro said impatiently

That did it. Half of the men took off towards the gate.

The others did not move.

"One..." Zoro drew the single syllable as a mother would do when commanding a child to do something.

The sound of fidgeting reached Zoro's ears.

"Two…"

The tension in the air was nearly tangible. A few more of the not-so-brave followed their comrades leaving about half the number left.

"Three…" He readjusted the katana in his mouth.

"Four, Five." Zoro barked with barely a pause. A few marines further away from him turned on their heel and ran.

"Six…" To emphasize the count, Zoro set more pressure on the end of the sword to stop Sgt. Red from squirming.

"Seven… Eight... Nine…" More retreated hastily. The rest stood still, their eyes never left the swordsman.

"T—" And a sudden shift in weight towards the remaining men sent them pushing and screaming in an undignified heap to get as far away as possible from the homicidal pirate.

"—ime to end this," Zoro finished calmly addressing the one marine left under his sword point.

"You looked like you enjoyed yourself." Despite the sword biting into his neck, the marine's features displayed no signs of fear. If anything, he appear to Zoro to look a bit triumphant…

…_his men just deserted him. Why would he look like he just got his smug ass promoted? _

"Oi, you want to die with that stupid look on your face?"

"I already told you. You can't kill me."

"So you can live without your thro—"

Zoro barely heard the _pop_ before his vision was shrouded by a thick cloud of smoke.

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Did not end how I imagined. I think I've lost control of it. I actually wrote it all in one sitting so it might explain any suckiness you might have experienced (its also pretty late here and I'm exhausted, I've written half of this chapter twice and I'm walled in by writer's block).

Anyway, the answer to the Bit O' Trivia from the last chapter…

The historical event/figure that I got my inspiration from was…

**Alexander the Great! **

Anyway, the movie pissed me off as it never showed or mentioned that battle (I think it also pissed my history teacher off…)

Next chapter coming soon…


	8. The Detonation

Another long break between chapters…I'm amazed that y'all are still reviewing…such loyal readers. I am not worthy!

:Cough: anyway…here's the next chapter!

By the way, I apologize in advance for any extreme clicheness you may experience whilst reading this chapter...

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"Fuck," swore Zoro violently between harsh coughs. The smoke bomb, though it had much less force than an actual bomb served to throw Zoro backwards with a lung full of the acrid substance thus freeing Sgt. Red from the swordsman's grasp.

The smoke pervaded Zoro's vision and he lost sight of his quarry. The only thing he could see were the lazily drifting tendrils of thick smoke that were eerily lit by the moonlight. He felt painfully vulnerable. Not only was he unable to see his enemy's whereabouts, but he also could no longer see his currently defenseless crewmates. If he was careless, the situation could escalate into a hostage situation.

_Hell, _thought Zoro with self-derision, _the reason I'm in this mess was because I was careless. _He was furious for failing to see the sergeant prepare his attack while he distracted himself with scaring the other marines away.

Suddenly, Zoro's skin pricked. His fighter's instincts informed him of a presence behind him.

"Come out, coward. Smoke won't last forever, and you're running out of things to hide behind." Zoro's voice betrayed no hint of trepidation as his growled out his message between the katana clenched in his teeth. He was well aware of the fact that he was at the other man's mercy. Unable to attack, he could only wait until the marine showed himself before he could strike.

Defensive fighting was not something Zoro enjoyed. He preferred being the one to initiate the attacks and set the pace and intensity of the fight. Though he was, by no means, fond of board games, he believed a fight was akin to a game of checkers; the first one to secure one of their opponent's pieces was most likely to win if they continued to capture one piece for every piece of theirs seized. If the player could continue that trend, it was obvious that his opponent would run out of pieces before he did. Being the first to strike did not always guaranteed victory, however, especially if one did not have the skill to follow up the initial attack, but it did improve the odds of success. Though he was rarely one to rely on battle tactics, he did strive to before and more often than his opponent.

Zoro only hoped that the smoke also limited the sergeant's sight and ability to fight as well.

"You are completely helpless aren't you?" The jeering voice came not from behind the swordsman as he had previously anticipated, but somewhere off to his right. "And you were doing so well earlier too…" Zoro growled at the condescending tone as he strained his ears to focus on the exact position of the voice's origin.

"But as entertaining as this is for me, I have a job to finish up. So, I hope you don't mind if I bid you adieu."

"I knew you would try to run off, coward. This isn't done yet—your prissy mouth hasn't been shut permanently yet." Zoro almost had Sgt. Red's position identified; he just needed to keep the man talking. Also, he noted with satisfaction, the smoke was beginning to dissipate.

"Ah, I never said that I was going to run off. By all means, I am going to finish this very soon."

Zoro tightened his grips on his swords as he began to stalk soundlessly in the direction of the voice. To maintain his precision, Zoro needed the sergeant to continue to make noise. "Yeah? How soon?" he taunted only half anticipating the answer to his own question; more intent was he on the actual source of the sound.

Something that appeared to be a spark arced through the air and landed a few feet in front of him causing him to stop his advancement. The sizzling sound emanating from it was the last thing Zoro wanted to hear.

"About now," said the disembodied voice..

By pure reflex, Zoro leaped away from the bomb a split second before it exploded in a blazing, devastating ball of fire. The explosion violently flung the swordsman into the wall behind him causing the structure to crumble and collapse around the human projectile.

After the smoke from the rubble cleared, the marine sergeant approached the destroyed wall. No look of surprise appeared on his face when one of the larger pieces of boulder began to move and finally roll away to reveal the bloody, winded body of the green-haired man leaning heavily on a portion of the wall that remained standing.

Sgt. Red stood patiently while Zoro struggled to his feet sans two of his blades. He sheathed the one katana he still held and, with unerring precision, due to the some unexplainable link he shared with his precious blades, he shifted a smaller rock and picked up the blade that had been trapped under it. He looked for his final blade, only to see that the marine was standing between him and it.

"Are you finally done? That explosion would have killed a lesser man and you are certainly in no shape to keep fighting. If you come quietly with me, I can promise you a decent, lawful execution."

The explosion had done no small bit of damage to the pirate. He had, from what he could tell at the moment, dislocated his right shoulder, which was why he had sheathed his first blade. His arm was useless now and he would only be able to wield one blade.

"Is the deaths of pirates the only thing you're after?" Zoro asked between ragged breaths.

"Not the only thing. I hate you filthy, uneducated, miscreants. The fact that those like you roam the sea makes me sick. We hid our base here to lure unsuspecting pirates here. You wouldn't believe the amount I make from the bounties of stupid pirate heads."

"You're only in it for the money…"

Sgt. Red began to walk towards the injured man. "Does that surprise you?"

Leveling his sword, Zoro replied, "No. One of my crewmates is just as greedy—" he brought a sword up to block the marine's punch. The steel of his blade met the metal of his armored forearm. In his weakened state, however, he lacked the strength to completely halt the blow and the punch knocked aside the blade and continued its trajectory to crash into the pirate's stomach.

The force of the blow sent him flying backwards until a portion of the wall cut short his flight and knocked the wind out of him. Zoro struggled to breathe and control the urge to cough after having the breath knocked brutally out of him twice in a span of only a few short seconds.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I think I interrupted you. I believe you were saying something about your greedy crewmate…?" Zoro glared up at the man who began walking towards him. The man was mocking him. He was just aware as Zoro of the latter man's present inability to breath properly at the moment, much less respond to the sarcastic question.

Despite his body's protest, Zoro stubbornly attempted to stand. His efforts were futile as vertigo forced him down on one knee, all but helpless as he watched the sergeant approach.

When the man reached him, Zoro's endeavor at defense was disposed of by a sweeping hand that sent the blade skidding along the ground. Before he could draw his other sword, Sgt. Red grabbed his throat and slammed him against the wall. With his free hand, the marine prevented the swordsman from unsheathing his other katana by grabbing his good arm by the wrist and, with a pop, forced it into a very unnatural position. Zoro's face contorted in agony.

"That must hurt. Let me end your suffering for you."

Zoro apathetically watched with pain-filled eyes as the man raised his fist to deliver the final blow. He knew he could not out run death forever and he was prepared for the day death caught up with him. His only regret would be his inability to save his crew lying prone on the ground across the compound.

However, the anticipated blow never came. Before his mind could comprehend what had happened, he found himself on the ground with the marine on his back a few feet away.

"Dumbass, it's no… fun if you're gonna… _end…_ the Marimo's suffering."

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Sorry to end it there, but its getting late. Sorry if I made Zoro seem a bit weak in this chapter, but I mean, he was just a few feet away from a _bomb_…(sad excuse I know). But if he appears unbearably OOC please lemme know.

The only reason I was able to update this soon (readers: "This was _soon_?") was because this weekend I didn't only had a small mound of homework as opposed to the normal mountain that would dwarf Mt. Everest. I think my teachers were feeling considerate this weekend…they scare me.

So, maybe the Divine Powers of Homework (have you offered _your_ sacrifice lately )will allow next weekend to be like this one…not that I'm gonna hold my breath.

Also, I'm grounded (not that there's much to ground me from) because my mom has an inferiority complex and is completely unreasonable. So, no judo means more time for potential ficcage.

Enough with my sob story, reviews are nice and have an unexplainable motivational effect….go figure.


	9. The Desperate

Yeah, I'm back for a _waaaaay_ overdue update… I must be honest, if it wasn't for all of you _awesome_ reviewers, this would have never been finished. I'm sorry to have left you guys hanging for ELEVEN full months. I'm such a horrible person. Of course, after you read this chapter, you may agree fully with that statement, so I apologize in advance.

I hope this chapter is suitable…I think I may have lost what touch I have at writing for this fandom…

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Hearing the pained and raspy, yet still familiar voice, Zoro rolled onto his knees with a speed that his aching body severely protested. Once his vision cleared, he could see that the blow to his head in the earlier explosion was not responsible for him seeing what must surely have been impossible.

Sanji, covered in blood and white as a sheet, was standing unsteadily a few feet away from the knocked down marine sergeant. The stick-like pieces of what Zoro guessed as metal rods of some sort were still impaled in the cook's shoulders and each breath he took was obviously painful and shallow, even to Zoro's still-recovering vision.

Zoro wondered how the cook had managed to level a man four times his size in the state he was in.

"Don't tell me. . . that after one. . . _little _kick. . . you're through," Sanji managed to say to the man still lying on the ground.

Sergeant Red slowly but steadily got to his feet. He gingerly touched his temple and, when he felt the small trickle of blood, growled angrily. Though his back was to Zoro, the swordsman could only imagine the burning rage in the marine's eyes.

"You have just bought your death sentence, boy," Red said in a low voice.

Sanji gave an exhausted smirk, "You haven't. . .killed me yet."

"My mistake," said the marine as he walked unhesitatingly towards the bloody cook, "Allow me to remedy that." In two colossal strides, the massive man reached the smaller man who, despite the circumstances, stood boldly.

Red pulled back his giant fist to deliver a devastating blow when a _pop_ and a grunt behind him diverted his attention. He whirled around just in time to see the swordsman exhale a shaky breath and clench and unclench his left fist. After rotating his newly relocated wrist, he bent down to gather his sword.

"I underestimated you, swordsman," Red declared as the silent man walked over to where his other sword lay, "Not that that's saying much. After all, you're just a pirate," he taunted. Zoro placed his other recovered sword in his mouth.

"Heh. . .great. . .you've pissed. . . him off. . . genius," Sanji gave a small chuckle. His legs finally gave out and he grunted painfully as his butt hit the ground jarring his injuries. "Hey, shitface. . .don't fuck up. . .this time," he managed a bit louder with a smirk on his blood-spattered face.

"You plan on fighting me with only one arm?" Red asked, entirely forgetting the cook and indicating Zoro's limp right arm with a nod of his head. "You couldn't even _scratch_ me when you had _two_ working arms!" he laughed.

Zoro crouched into position.

Complete silence settled over the compound.

Suddenly, with a speed nearly imperceptible to the normal eye, Zoro initiated an attack. Steel clanged against steel as Red's metal-sheathed arm blocked Zoro's slashing blade. Using the momentum of Red's force against his blade, the swordsman leapt backwards.

Red charged after his opponent pulling his fist back to punch him. However, Zoro, ready for such a maneuver, pulled his body to the side and, in a batting-like fashion, swung his sword under Red's arm where it connected with the steel covering the man's stomach. However, unlike the previous encounters of sword and armor, there was no cacophony of steel ringing upon steel.

Red looked down in amazement at the sword blade stuck in his armor.

"You. . .you just sliced through. . ." he was unable to finish his sentence.

Zoro yanked the sword towards him, drawing the blade lengthwise across the cut steel and freeing the blade. A tiny trickle of blood made a noticeable path down the marine's shirt.

"You're lucky it was just a nick," Zoro said emotionlessly though his eyes blazed with a fury Sergeant Red had never seen before. Red, hands shaking slightly, took a step away from the pirate. He had no idea that a _pirate_, of all beings, would be capable of cutting cold steel with cold steel.

"You're lucky that that was just a fluke," Red replied in a vain attempt to recover his fleeting confidence. As if to prove the point, the sergeant took two running strides and launched his huge body into the air to execute a flying kick at Zoro's head.

The smaller man merely squatted and, as Red sailed over his green head, turned gracefully to swipe at his metal-covered back. Red screamed as he landed: Zoro's blade had cut much deeper than his last encounter with the blade.

He reeled angrily around to face the swordsman, however, to his dismay; he knew that no amount of anger would give him the fuel to win. Since the pirate's skills had been made painfully obvious to the sergeant, he could see no hope for victory. Every single plan he had made in preparation for a pirate encounter was rendered useless by his underestimation of such people.

_But, dammit!_ Red thought furiously. _This pirate should not be fighting this easily with all of his injuries! What does it take to kill him? _Full of utter despair, the man shifted his weight to ready himself to break for the gate.

Then, the most obvious idea struck him. . .

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Zoro watched the rush of emotions race across the marine bastard's face with a sort of sadistic glee. The man was obviously trying to weigh his options, but, as was apparent to Zoro, there wasn't much for the man to weigh.

Suddenly, the looks of anger, fear, despair, hopelessness and other such emotions, disappeared from Sergeant Red's face leaving behind only a look of pure coolness and poise. Needless to say, Zoro became instantly alert.

"All right, you've beaten me." Red said casually spreading his arms outward. Returning his arms to his side, he began to walk towards the sweating pirate. "Now what?"

"Stop right there," Zoro said, the sword in his mouth emphasizing the terseness and seriousness of his tone. He raised his left sword-possessing arm while his right dangled pointlessly at his side. The marine stopped about ten feet in front of him.

"You think you've won, don't you?" ridiculed Sergeant Red. "And you might have, if I had continued to fight you head to head like before. I admit it; I underestimated you. But not anymore. You are just as mortal as me and therefore," he reached a hand quickly to his belt and pulled out a pistol that had been hidden beneath his marine coat, "you can be killed." He pointed it at the pirate. "Move and I shoot," he said, his tone becoming harsh as he cocked back the hammer of his gun.

"Goddammit, I'm sick of this," Zoro snarled.

"Now, put your swords down and step away from them."

"I don't think so. But I'll show you where I _will_ put them." And with that, Zoro pushed off fearlessly into a rapid sprint with his sword pointed righted at the marine's heart just as the marine fired the shot.

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I _did_ proofread this, honestly. But, my mind is still running on Japan time so I'm just _blah. _I apologize for the shortness as well. I wanted to get this up as soon as possible. If there are any glaring errors, in either the writing mechanics, continuity, plot, or characterizations, PLEASE TELL ME! I'm still trying to get back in the flow of OP.

Also, before I stop rambling, I must insert a shameless advertisement for my new fic "Sangre Fria". It's based on the Clint Eastwood western "Fistful of Dollars". If you haven't seen this movie, and you like my fic, then you will most likely like the movie. Me, being the sick person I am, like Eastwood movies because I have yet to see him NOT get the shit kicked out of him and him recover to get sweet _revenge_ (though I've only seen four movies of his). So, my fic will follow that precedent and there will be plenty of violence and retribution in it…

I just hope that I can get someone _else_ to write for that (apparently very small) fandom. If you know of any stories belonging to it or any other Eastwood western, PLEASE TELL ME and I just might make the next chapter of this longer…(jeez, I'm so horrible).


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